God formed every creature on this planet with a special area of expertise. Each has a particular role to play, based on the way they were shaped by God. God deliberately shaped & formed us to serve him in a way that makes us unique.

This means nothing that happens in our life is insignificant.

Whenever God gives us an assignment, he always equips us with what we need to accomplish it. 2 of these capabilities are:

Unwrapping our Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts are special God-empowered abilities for serving him that are given only to believers. We can’t earn our spiritual gifts, or deserve them, nor can we choose them. They are given not for our benefit but for the benefit of others. God planned it this way so that we would need each other. When we use our gifts together, we all benefit. Warren asks us to discover & develop our spiritual gifts. Have you taken the time to discover your spiritual gift? An unopened gift is worthless.

Listening to our Heart

Our heart represents the source of all our motivations–what we love to do & what we care about most. Our heart determines why we say the things we do, why we feel the way we do, & why we act the way we do. God has given us each a unique “emotional” heartbeat that races when we think about the subjects, activities, or circumstances that interest us. We instinctively care about some things & not about others. These are clues to where we should be serving Him.

There are certain subjects we feel passionate about & others we couldn’t care less about. Some experiences capture our attention while others turn us off. These reveal the nature of our heart.

When we were growing up, we may have discovered that we were intensely interested in some subjects that no one else in our family cared about. God had a purpose in giving us these inborn interests. Don’t ignore these interests, there is a reason we love to do these things.

How do we know when we are serving God from our heart?

Enthusiasm. Listen to those inner promptings. When we are doing what we love to do, no one has to motivate us. We do it for the sheer enjoyment. We don’t need rewards or applause or payment, because we love serving this way.

Effectiveness. Whenever we do what God wired us to love to do, we get good at it. Passion drives perfection. Let’s not waste our lives in a job that doesn’t express our heart. Let’s not settle for achieving “the good life”, because ultimately it doesn’t satisfy. Instead, aim for “the better life”, serving God in a way that expresses our heart.

Question to Consider:In what way can I see myself passionately serving others & loving it? I loose track of all time when I hook up nonprofs with the sources & the people to make their goals happen. I love to jumpstart worthwhile projects from other countries into Greece, to learn about projects around the world thru the UN dpi Conferences, to search out Foundations & see how I can connect resources & people for their work, to bring others into projects in which I believe they can truly contribute & find joy within it. They are so many ways we can help each other, its amazing. I do do it for the sheer enjoyment, & love serving this way. Also I am enthused reading Warren’s words & sharing them with you in this blog—I end up forgetting my post surgery pains!

I’d like to share something I read recently & which is a great way to welcome Spring:

Write down all the great things about everyone you know. Make a huge list of all the wonderful things about you. Compliment people wherever you go. Praise every single thing you see. Be a ray of sunshine to everyone you meet, and make their day better for having seen you. Say “Thank you” at every turn. Walk, talk, think, and breathe appreciation and gratitude. When you do this, your outer life will change to reflect your inner state of being.

May joy be with you,

Wishing you all a Happy Easter

* We will be writing about what inspires us from each consecutive chapter of Warren’s Purpose Driven Life. If you read along with us, please share your inspirations. There’s no need to catch up, just jump right in.

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About blueprintforliving

A born & bred New Yorker living on the other side of the Atlantic since '92. Once you live in a much smaller country you realise everything is precious,take nothing for granted,and you gain a global view which you would never have if you had stayed in the US.